Om vi väljer ekologiska kläder kan vi då fullt ut lita på den information som försäljaren har eller måste vi sätta oss in i branschen själva? Kan vi vara säkra på att dessa kläder inte har behandlats med något nanomaterial eller andra farliga kemikalier i avsikt att erhålla större vinster än konkurrenterna? Du avgör vilket ben du vill stå på och vad som är rätt för dig.
Besides cotton and hemp, another textile that has emerged as ‘green’ is bamboo. Bamboo clothing is growing in popularity due to its supposed green attributes. One of the most notable attributes of bamboo is that it is inherently pest-resistant. Besides this it’s naturally regenerative and grows quickly. Like hemp, the clothes are also anti-bacterial and do not require hot water to clean them. However, the actual process of planting bamboo is questionable. Because more and more people are becoming interested in bamboo clothing for its eco-friendly attributes, many plots of lands are being cleared to make way for the bamboo, and this in turn increases erosion. The demand for this clothing also leads to a mono-crop plantation, which increases chances of pests and disease. Not only is the growing method questioned, but also the production of the clothing. There are two production methods for bamboo: mechanical or chemical. The mechanical method crushes the woody parts of the bamboo and uses the natural enzymes to break down the bamboo wall into a pulpy mass so the natural fibers can be combed out and spun into yarn. This is essentially the same method used for flax or hemp, and this product is often called Bamboo linen. Although this is the most eco-friendly method of production, many companies do not use it because it is too labor-intensive and costly. The most popular method of production is the chemical method and is similar to the production of rayon. Many harsh chemicals are used, such as sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide. Carbon disulfide has been known to cause breathing and sleeping problems among workers. Sodium hydroxide can threaten aquatic wildlife when released into groundwater and streams. These chemicals are used to produce the fibers that eventually make the clothes, a similar process that happens with the production of rayon. And although dying bamboo requires less dye it still uses the heavy metals and sulfur used in the cotton dying process. This is enough to make many people nervous about using the term organic or green when referring to bamboo. Although there are many clothiers that claim that bamboo is eco-friendly, it is unlikely that they are truly organic. However, there is new research occurring to make the production of bamboo clothing friendlier to the environment. One such process is using nanotechnology. The bamboo is made into charcoal and these nano-bamboo bits are then combined with cotton or other materials.
Hittade detta på ecovian.com
For more information
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/24/business/clothing.php?page=1 – International Herald Tribune article on ”Fast Clothes” vs. ”Green Clothes”
http://www.harmonyart.com/organic-textiles/OrganicVSConventional.html – A leading organic textile company
http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/09/bamboo-facts-be.html – Bamboo clothing blog post on blog run by founders of LotusOrganic.com.
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/ask/bamboo – Article concerning the greenness of bamboo clothing on The Green Guide. The Green Guide, created by the National Geographical Society, it is one of the leading guides to green living.
http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/soy_sexy – Gives simple and easy to follow ways to live a greener life by providing insights, reviews, level-headed advice and recommendations for people looking to make big changes by making lots of little changes.
http://www.oeko-tex.com/ – Provides uniform, scientifically sound evaluation standard for the human ecological safety of textiles.
Besides cotton and hemp, another textile that has emerged as ‘green’ is bamboo. Bamboo clothing is growing in popularity due to its supposed green attributes. One of the most notable attributes of bamboo is that it is inherently pest-resistant. Besides this it’s naturally regenerative and grows quickly. Like hemp, the clothes are also anti-bacterial and do not require hot water to clean them. However, the actual process of planting bamboo is questionable. Because more and more people are becoming interested in bamboo clothing for its eco-friendly attributes, many plots of lands are being cleared to make way for the bamboo, and this in turn increases erosion. The demand for this clothing also leads to a mono-crop plantation, which increases chances of pests and disease. Not only is the growing method questioned, but also the production of the clothing. There are two production methods for bamboo: mechanical or chemical. The mechanical method crushes the woody parts of the bamboo and uses the natural enzymes to break down the bamboo wall into a pulpy mass so the natural fibers can be combed out and spun into yarn. This is essentially the same method used for flax or hemp, and this product is often called Bamboo linen. Although this is the most eco-friendly method of production, many companies do not use it because it is too labor-intensive and costly. The most popular method of production is the chemical method and is similar to the production of rayon. Many harsh chemicals are used, such as sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide. Carbon disulfide has been known to cause breathing and sleeping problems among workers. Sodium hydroxide can threaten aquatic wildlife when released into groundwater and streams. These chemicals are used to produce the fibers that eventually make the clothes, a similar process that happens with the production of rayon. And although dying bamboo requires less dye it still uses the heavy metals and sulfur used in the cotton dying process. This is enough to make many people nervous about using the term organic or green when referring to bamboo. Although there are many clothiers that claim that bamboo is eco-friendly, it is unlikely that they are truly organic. However, there is new research occurring to make the production of bamboo clothing friendlier to the environment. One such process is using nanotechnology. The bamboo is made into charcoal and these nano-bamboo bits are then combined with cotton or other materials.
Hittade detta på ecovian.com
For more information
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/24/business/clothing.php?page=1 – International Herald Tribune article on ”Fast Clothes” vs. ”Green Clothes”
http://www.harmonyart.com/organic-textiles/OrganicVSConventional.html – A leading organic textile company
http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/09/bamboo-facts-be.html – Bamboo clothing blog post on blog run by founders of LotusOrganic.com.
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/ask/bamboo – Article concerning the greenness of bamboo clothing on The Green Guide. The Green Guide, created by the National Geographical Society, it is one of the leading guides to green living.
http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/soy_sexy – Gives simple and easy to follow ways to live a greener life by providing insights, reviews, level-headed advice and recommendations for people looking to make big changes by making lots of little changes.
http://www.oeko-tex.com/ – Provides uniform, scientifically sound evaluation standard for the human ecological safety of textiles.
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